Fashion Scout is proud to announce the London based eponymous brand Tolu Coker as the winner of the AW19 Merit Award. Created in 2009, the new talent initiative is worth £20,000 across three seasons and has been created to support and develop new designer businesses on a global level. In winning this season’s Merit Award, Tolu will receive a fully sponsored catwalk show with Fashion Scout during London Fashion Week with space to host press and buyers.
Tolu Coker is a unisex fashion brand centred around inclusivity, diversity and social responsibility. More than just a fashion label, it serves as a creative outlet for the youthful expression of political reform, changing social and economic climates and new emerging identities. The brand explores and acknowledges hybridity and fluidity in societies and cultures, translating this into forward-thinking fashion and environmentally conscious clothing, shoes and accessories.
Tolu aims to showcase her identity throughout her work by embracing dual heritage and cultures. She does this by reconstructing the black identity within the western world by adding personal prints, embellishments and personal old polaroid photos of her family. Her work is a fusion of generational experiences, with some pieces being inspired from extracts from her Father’s diary. Originally from Nigeria, Tolu is a fashion designer, textile designer and illustrator and has lived in Spain but currently resides in London. Whilst studying at Central Saint Martins, Tolu undertook several successful stints at Maison Margiela, J.W. Anderson and Celine and gone on to have many collaborations with established labels such as Dr Martens, Swatch and illy.
